Maybe you are thinking of taking a fall camping trip or a weekend hiking the trails.

Whatever the itinerary, if a visit to one of Pennsylvania’s 117 state parks is on your calendar, make sure your destination is open for business before you hit the road.

The torrential rains and floods from Tropical Storm Lee forced officials to close down large areas of parks and forests, and in some cases entire parks.

Two weeks after record rains and water levels pummeled the state, a number of state parks remain closed as clean-up and inspection crews continue to assess damage.

A number of state parks and forests are under advisories with limited access to certain areas.

Overall damage is estimated at $3.8 million.

“That may go up. That was strictly an estimate,” said Terry Brady, deputy press secretary for the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, which, in addition to the state parks, oversees 2.2 million acres of state forests.

Swatara State Park in Lebanon County sustained damage to hiking trails and saw extensive erosion and fallen trees.

Old State Road remains closed after it was flooded — not by the Swatara Creek, which caused extensive damage in the midstate — but by water runoff. Water cut a 3-foot chasm across the road, Brady said.

The rail trail between the Inwood and Waterville bridges was severely damage and also remains off limits.

“A lot of trees are down,” Brady said. “The top priority is getting those trees removed.”

“It’s a bit hairy in a lot of areas because of the erosion,” Brady said. “There’s a lot of silt in parking areas and it’s really dusty. We’ve had some complaints.”

Visitors to parks along the Susquehanna River — Shikellamy, Milton and Susquehanna — which were evacuated and closed amid record water levels, will have to contend with lingering mud and dusty conditions.

“All these parks that have been under water are going to have a lot of dust,” Brady said.

In general, safety is priority across the system of state parks and forests, Brady said. Engineers are scheduled to inspect bridges and repair roads and trails.

Under Gov. Tom Corbett’s 2011-’12 budget, DCNR lost $27 million in funding. State forest funding was trimmed by $6 million, and state parks by $19 million.

Brady said the department will have to do some “fiscal managing” to ensure repairs and restorations are completed. Damage caused by Tropical Storm Lee followed almost immediately repair work done in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene late last month.

“We may have to forgo some things,” he said. “We just have to wait. That ($3.8 million) estimate was very conservative. We’ll have to see how the cost amounts.”

Brady said the department will likely qualify for federal assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

With fall foliage, hiking and the early hunting season starting on Oct. 1, fall is a popular time in the parks, he said.

“There’s good fishing, good weather and the bugs aren’t there and we still have camping in some areas,” Brady said.

The worst-hit state park — Loyalsock State Forest in Sullivan and Lycoming counties — sustained severe damage to roads. At least 12 of the district’s 37 state forests roads are closed, and many others are partially closed or damaged.

“In terms of major hits that was the most major. That district got clobbered,” Brady said. “There’s very little access to large areas. You can get from here to there for a little bit but you’re gonna have to stop. When you look at expense, that’s going to be a big one.”

Repair operations are under way at Loyalsock. With most bridges needing inspection, DCNR officials anticipate travel in the district will not return to normal for some time.

Worlds End State Park, which is surrounded by Loyalsock State Forest near Forksville, Sullivan County, was closed after the Loyalsock Creek surged its banks.

The good news, Brady said, was that the eastern section of the state, notably Delaware Canal State Park, which chronically gets hit hard by storms and flood, was spared.

A newly repaved part of the towpath, which is popular with cyclist, was under water but not permanently damaged. Brady attributed that to the new paving materials.

“We did things right for a change in terms of repairs after the last flooding,” Brady said.

Brady encourages anyone planning a visit or stay to any state park or forest to call ahead or visit DCNR’s website for updates and advisories.

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